RUI: Investigating the synthesis and unique activities of bactofilins with multiple isoforms

RUI：研究具有多种亚型的 bactofilins 的合成和独特活性

• 批准号: 1949762
• 负责人: David Zuckerman
• 金额: $ 37.21万
• 依托单位: IONA UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-04-01 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1949762&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Investigating; synthesis; unique; activities

The cytoskeleton of a cell plays an important role in the organization of the cell, its motility, and the movement of macromolecules within the cell. In this project, the researcher will investigate the regulation of expression and polymerization of the bacterial cytoskeletal protein, bactofilin. This project will engage undergraduate students with training and experience in molecular microbiology, studying the cell biology of bacteria, while increasing the overall research capacity of Iona College. Undergraduates will be trained in techniques that will allow them to engineer specific mutations into the genomes of non-pathogenic bacteria and evaluate the influence on the overall activity of the cells, and provide them with experiences that will enhance their readiness to engage in STEM careers. The goal of this project is to further our understanding of the contributions of the uniquely bacterial cytoskeleton family, bactofilins, to the cell biology of Myxococcus xanthus. Two isoforms of the bactofilin, BacM, are expressed by M. xanthus. The cellular mechanisms that produce the two isoforms, the potential unique contributions of each isoform to M. xanthus cell biology, and how widespread is the phenomenon of multiple isoforms of bactofilins are all currently unknown. In addition, the polarity of the filament as it is formed in vivo has not been established. To address these research challenges, the PI will work with undergraduates using PCR-directed mutagenesis, mutant protein expression in M. xanthus, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence microscopy, and protein-protein interaction studies, to generate multiple isoforms of the bactofilin BacM and study how each isoform contributes to M. xanthus cell biology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

细胞的细胞骨架在细胞的组织、运动以及细胞内大分子的运动中起着重要作用。 在该项目中，研究人员将研究细菌细胞骨架蛋白 bactofilin 的表达和聚合的调节。该项目将让本科生接受分子微生物学方面的培训和经验，研究细菌的细胞生物学，同时提高爱奥纳学院的整体研究能力。本科生将接受技术培训，使他们能够在非致病细菌的基因组中设计特定的突变，并评估对细胞整体活性的影响，并为他们提供经验，以增强他们从事 STEM 职业的准备。该项目的目标是进一步了解独特的细菌细胞骨架家族细菌素对黄色粘球菌细胞生物学的贡献。杆菌素的两种亚型 BacM 由 M. xanthus 表达。目前尚不清楚产生两种亚型的细胞机制、每种亚型对 M. xanthus 细胞生物学的潜在独特贡献，以及杆菌素多种亚型现象的普遍性。此外，体内形成的细丝的极性尚未确定。为了应对这些研究挑战，PI 将与本科生合作，利用 PCR 定向诱变、M. xanthus 中的突变蛋白表达、免疫印迹、免疫荧光显微镜和蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用研究，生成 bactofilin BacM 的多种同种型，并研究每种同种型的作用机制。同工型对 M. xanthus 细胞生物学做出了贡献。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。